Pedal action foe piano foetes



(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

O. L. WESER.

PEDAL ACTION FOR PIANO FORTES.

No. 448,308. Patented Mar. 17,1891,

W @W i 21% ATTORNEYS nrmna, WASHINGTON, o. c.

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

V G. L. WESER.

PEDAL ACTION FOR PIANO PORTES.

No. 448,808. Patented Mar. 17, 1891.

m: NDHRIG PETERS cu, mum-mum. msnmcwran, u. c

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 3. G. L. WESER.

PEDAL ACTION FOR PIANO FORTES.

No. 448,808. Patented Mar. 1'7, 1891.

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

O. L. WESER.

PEDAL ACTION FOR PIANO PORTES.

No. 448,308. Patented Mar. 17, 1891.

WITNESSES: uvvmrzm m @M 6% =1 M BY mzfimmm 14 A NOR/VH5- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CALVIN Ii. \VESER, ()F NEIV YORI ,N.Y.

PEDAL-ACTION FOR PIANO- FORTES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 48,308, dated March 17', 1891.

Application filed August 13,1890. Serial No. 361,920l. (N0 model.)

To ztZZ whom it may concern.- I

Be it known. that I, CALVIN L. WEsEE, a citizen of the United States, residing in New York city, in the county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pedal-Actions for Piano- Fortes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates, in part, to improvements upon the construction of pedal-action shown in my patent, No. 432,4.77, dated March l, 1890.

It also relates, in part, to means for holding the soft or piano stop applied without the necessity of keeping the foot pressed upon the soft pedal, this being often desirable for the purposes of practice. This feature is known in the piano trade as aharp-pedal.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings is a front elevation of part of the pedal mechanism constructed according to myinvention. Fig. 2 is a plan thereof. Fig. 3 is a vertical section thereof on the line 3 in Fig. 2. Fig. l is a similar section showing the parts in a different position. Fig. 5 is a front elevation on a smaller scale, showing the entire length of the tilting bars or rock-shafts and their connection with the upright action-rods. Fig. (5 is a plan thereof. Fig. 7 is a transverse section thereof on the line 7 7 in Fig. 5. Fig. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary detail View showing the connection between the tilting bar and the upright action-rod. j

The harp-pedal attachment is omitted from Figs. 5, (i, and '7.

Referring to the drawings, A and A are the tilting bars or rock-shafts extending longitudinally of the case, and connected, respectively, with the pedal-levers B and 13' of the soft and loud pedals or pedal-feet w and to. The pedal-levers are fastened rigidly to the bars or shafts by set-screws b b,rcspectively, or in any other suitable manner. The bars or shafts A and A are mounted in suitable bearings, so as to be free to oscillate as the pedals are depressed, either by having their opposite ends entered in holes XX and X K, respectively, in the wooden framing of the piano, as shown in Figs. 5 and 0, these holes being suitably hushed with felt or other soft inaterialfordeadening the noise, or the shafts are journaled in the manner shown in Figs.

1 and 2, which is the preferred construction. The ends of the shafts are screw-threaded, and on each is tightly screwed a metal thimble or bushing g, having a flange at one end and locked by a flange 0r nut g, tightly screwed against it, at the other end. The bushing thus fixed around the shaft turns loosely in a bearing of felt or other soft material it, placed in a hole in the supportingframe. The flanges g g receive the endthrust. Both ends are preferably of this construction, and the shafts are also, by preference, supported between their ends by being passed through holes in a bearing-frame X, arranged just to the left of the pedals, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2,theholes in this frame being bushed with felt.

The bars or shafts A A have the same function as the tilting bars I) b, respectively, in my said former patent. I formerly eonstructed these bars of wood with metal pivotpins in their opposite ends. I find it preferable to make them of metal red, as shown in the accompanying drawings. In my former patent a single springwas interposed between the two wooden bars to impart to them the requisite tension for pressing up the pedals. I now apply this spring to the pedal-levers B I3 instead of to the bars. The spring (lettered c) is preferably made of coiled wire with one end entered into a socket or hole in a lugt' in the rear of the pedal-lever I3, and the other end taking under and exerting an upward tension against a hooked lug or arm i 011 the other pedal-lever B. Its tension is hence upwardly against the lug 2" and downwardly against the lug z", and these lugs being on opposite sides of the pivotal axes the effeet is to impart to both pedal-feet an up ward tension sufficient to lift them. The effect of this tension is also 'to take up any wear or lost motion in the bearings of the shafts.

In my former patent the connection be tween the tilting bars and the action-rods was effected by forming the bars with laterally-projecting arms into sockets in which the ends of the rods entered. I have substituted this construction by the one shown best in Figs. 5 to 8. The bars or shafts A A are bent at or near the left-hand end to form cranks L L, respectively. These cranks are formed,

preferably, as a U-shaped lateral bend in the shaft or bar. is extended parallel with the shaft or bar to form a crank-wrist, (lettered min Fig. 8.) The action-rods J J which are arranged vertically and extend upward for engaging the pianisimo and forte stop mechanisms, re-

spectively, are formedeach with a notch pin its lower end, as shown in Fig. 8,. which is forced down over the crank-wrist m, and is formed with a cylindrical portion which embraces the crank-wrist. The notch 19 is made slightly narrower than the wrist, so that some force is required toenter the wrist, it being necessary to spring open this portion of the notch which the Wooden rodv by reason of its elasticity admits of. As the thrust transmitted through the crank is always upwardly, there is no tendency to draw thev crank-wrist down through the notch or in any way. disturb the relation. of the parts. The forte-action rod J is guided above its lower endv by a link P, one end of which is pivoted at T to the case, and the other end of which is pivoted at T to the rod, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7'.

My improved construction of pedal-action thus described is very simple to construct, involves the minimum of pieces to unite, and is free from liability to get out of order or givefort'h any rattling or squeaking noises in use.

I will now describe how by means of my invention I provide for the application of a harp-pedal or for the continuous holding of the soft or piano pedal in action. Thepedallevers B and B are spread apart slightly, and between them is placed an additional lever D, terminating in-apedal-foot (1. So long as this foot 01 is not pressed down, the soft and loud pedals w and 10' may be used in the ordinary manner. The pressing down of this pedal d, however, carries down with it the soft pedal w to somewhat less than the full extent of its movement and holds it down. WVhile thus held down the piano may be played like any ordinary instrument and the forte pedal 10 may be used in the normallmanner. When it is desired to discontinue the action of theharpstop, the operator will press onthe soft pedal w,throwingit down to its extreme movement, whereupon the pedal cl will fly up, being disengaged from the soft pedahso that when the soft pedal is released it returns to its normal position. Thus to apply the harp-pedal the operator depresses the pedal d, and to release it he depresses the pedal w.

' The pedal-lever D may be pivoted on any suitable-axis, and is most conveniently formed with eyes (1 g, which are slipped over the shaft A, in order that the lever may be pivoted to this shaft. Felts are interposed to render the movement noiseless, and collars a (L are fastened on the sh aft by set-screws to prevent longitudinal displacement of the lever. A spring 0 is connected at one end to the lever and at the other end to the framing, in order The outer portion of each crank lents of springs.

to impart an upward tension to the lever to tilt its-pedal d upwardly. The lever'D is preferably made forked or Y-shaped, and in the bifurcation is pivoted a roller f, faced with rubber or other soft or noiseless material. The tilting bar or shaft A is fastened rigidly by a set-screw to an arm E, which in the normal positions of the'parts extends in a curve downwardly and forwardly and terminates directly beneath the roller f, as shown in Fig. 3. It is short enough and the positions of the axes of the shafts A and A. and

roller f are so arranged relatively that by pressing downv the lever D the roller f in its downward movement depresses the arm E and rolls over the end thereof, remaining when 1 ment and: holds them mutually in their lowered position, as shown in Fig. 4. The arm E, by its displacement, has carried down the pedal-leverB with it, but to an extent lessthan its extreme downward movement-l When it is desired to releasethe harp-stop, the downward pressure of theped'al-foot w depressesthe arm. E sufficiently to cause its notch e to release the roller f, whereupon the lever D is thrust up by its spring 0. Then upon lifting the foot the pedal-lever B and arm E return to their normal position, as shown in Fig. 3'. In this position it is to be observed" that the. pressing down of the soft pedal simply moves the arm E down and back without interferingwith the lever D, so that my improved harp-stop device does not in the least interfere with the normal action of the soft pedal.

it should be understood that the roller f is not necessarily a roller, but isessentially merely a working face or shoulder formed on or carried by the stop-lever D. It might be .non-rotative, being a mere fixed-shoulder thereon, but arranged relatively to the arm ICC IIO

E in the same position as the roller in order 7 to coact in the same manner with the arm. in passing beyond the end thereof and being engaged by its notch e. In any case this working face or shoulder whether it be constructed Q springs c O, or either of them, counter-weights may be used for pressing up the pedals, such counter-weights being well known as equiva- A I have shown in dotted lines in Fig. ta counter-weight applied to the pedal-lever D to press it upwardly in. lieu of the spring 0, which may be omitted. The counter-weight maybe fastened bya set-screw,

so that it maybe adjusted toward or from the axial center in order to regulate the tension. Counter-weights thus applied have some practical advantage over a spring in that the pedal makes less noise when released on striking against the cushion which stops it.

I claim as my invention the following described novel features, substantially as hereinbefore specified, namely:

1. A pedal-action for piano-fortes, consisting of a tiltingbar or shaft of metal rod journaled in hearings in the frame-work, so as to be free to oscillate, and bent at or near one end to form a crank, a pedal-lever fastened on said rod to impart oscillation thereto, and an action-rod engaging said crank bend to be pressed upwardly thereby when the rod is oscillated by depressing the pedal.

2. A pedal-action for piano-fortes, consisting of a tilting bar or shaft of metal rod journaled in bearings in the frame-work, so as to be free to oscillate, and bent at or near one end to form a crank, a pedal-lever fastened on said rod to impart oscillation thereto, and an action-rod formed at its lower end with an open notch terminating in a rounded socket for engaging the wrist portion of said crank bend and adapted to be forced or sprung thereover.

A pedal-action for piano-fortes, consisting of a tilting bar or shaft of metal rod havin g a pedal-lever fastened on it and provided with j ournal-bushings screwed on threaded portions of the rod, having opposite flanges for receiving longitudinal thrust, and bearings for said rod embracing said bushings and faced with intervening felt or equivalent soft material.

t. A pedal-action for piano-fortes, consistin g of two tilting bars or shafts of metal rod journaled in bearings in the frame-work, so as to be free to oscillate, two pedal-levers fastened on said rods, and a single intervening spring for pressing the pedals upwardly, fastened at one end to one of the pedal-levers and at the other end to the other pedal-lever, engaging them on relatively opposite sides of the pivotal axes and adapted to exerta pressure against the two levers in opposite directions, whereby each receives the reaction of the thrust imparted to the other.

5. The combination, with a pedal-action for piano-fortes, comprising the soft pedal and the parts operated thereby, of means for retaining the soft pedal applied, consisting of a supplemental stop-pedal and a vibrating arm in connection with the soft pedal, arranged relatively to the stop-pedal to be tilted by the depression thereof, and thereby to press down the soft pedal, and means for holding said stop-pedal down.

6. The combination, with a pedal-aotion for piano-fortes comprising the soft pedal and the parts operated thereby, of means for retaining the soft pedal applied, consisting of a supplemental stop-pedal and a vibrating arm in connection with the soft pedal ar ranged relatively to the stop-pedal to be tilted by the depression thereof, and thereby to press down the soft pedal, and constructed when thus tilted to engage the stop-pedal and hold it down.

7. The combination, with a pedal-action for piano-fortes, comprising the soft pedal and the parts operated thereby, of means for rc .taining the soft pedal applied, consisting of a supplemental stop-pedal and a vibrating arm in connection with the soft pedal arranged relatively to the stop-pedal to be tilted by the depression thereof, and thereby to press the soft pedal down part way, and constructed when thus tilted to engage the stop-pedal and hold it down, and adapted by its further tilting by the complete depression of the soft pedal to disengage and release the stop-pedal.

S. The combination, with a pedal-action for piano-fortes, comprising the soft pedal, a longitudinal tilting bar or shaft on which it is fastened, and means for pressing it upwardly, of means for retaining the soft pedal applied, consisting of a supplemental stoppedal having means for pressing it upwardly, and a vibrating arm fixed to the soft-pedal shaft and extending beneath some part of 5 said stop-pedal in order that it shall be engaged and tilted thereby upon the depression of the stop-pedal, and thereby oscillate the soft-pedal shaft.

9. The combination of the soft pedal 10, its shaft A, an arm E, fixed to said shaft, and a stop-pedal D, normally pressed upwardly and having a roller f arranged upon its depression to press down the arm E.

10. The combination of the soft pedal it, its shaft A, an arm E, fixed on said shaft, and a stop-pedal D, pivoted on an axis in the rear of the shaft, normally pressed upwardly, and having a roller f arranged normally above the arm E, and adapted upon the depression of the stop-pedal to engage and press down the arm E, and arranged relatively to the length of said arm to pass beyond the end thereof and be engaged and held down thereby.

11 The combination of the soft pedal it, its shaft A, an arm E, having a notch or recess in its end, and a stop-pedal D, pivoted in the rear of said shaft, normally pressed upwardly, and having a roller f arranged relatively to said arm to engage and depress it upon the depression of the stop-pedal and to pass beyond its end and be engaged by the notch therein to hold the stop-pedal down.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CALVIN L. WESER.

Witnesses:

LOUIS BECKHARDT, MAURICE N. BECHKARDT. 

